In the build up-to the fourth npower Test match, Kevin Pietersen had not exactly adhered to Brian Clough's philosophy on sporting leadership. “Say nowt, win it, then talk yer head off,” was Clough's dictum, but - and this was unavoidable, given the demands on a new captain - Pietersen had decided in the run-up to the game at the Brit Oval not to bother with the first bit. Yesterday morning, though, the talking had to stop and the doing had to start.

The new era began rather well. Pietersen lost the toss, but it proved to be a good thing, as the pitch offered something all day and South Africa's batsmen gave the impression that they were a unit drained from previous exertions. They lost six wickets in the afternoon session, with the result that a promising 103 for one after lunch became 194 all out, an hour after tea. Only the loss of Andrew Strauss before the close and a funereal over-rate could take the gloss off Pietersen's day.

A captain is nothing without good bowlers and yesterday they made it easy for their new leader. The wickets were shared around and, with the exception of Stuart Broad, who leaked too many boundaries, it was a good day for them all. James Anderson, in particular, had a day to remember when he became, at 26 years and eight days old, the fourth-youngest England bowler to pass 100 Test wickets.

It was a good day, too, for the man immediately above him on that list. Over the past couple of years, it has been difficult to watch Stephen Harmison bowl, mainly because, after that horror ball in Brisbane, the spectators' instincts upon seeing him ball in hand have been to cower behind the sofa or place their hands over their eyes just in case. But yesterday we got the pre-2006 version: knees pumping and radar working. He was hostile, fast and, praise be, straight.

He was entrusted with the new ball, the first time he has taken it for England since the Old Trafford Test more than a year ago, and he might have taken a wicket with his first ball, Graeme Smith cutting a rising one straight into, and out of, the hands of Alastair Cook at gully. There was pain and blood, too, although the blood belonged to a team-mate, as Tim Ambrose misjudged Harmison's steepling bounce to end up with a mouthful of leather. The pain was reserved for Smith, who edged into what commentators call the midriff, and spent minutes doubled up while everyone else had a titter.

Thereafter, Harmison bowled a probing eight-over spell from the Vauxhall End, during which he was unlucky not to take a wicket or two, passing the bat on occasions and looking generally in good order. It was a change of ends after lunch, primarily so that the prevailing breeze could help Anderson's outswing, that brought Harmison the rewards that were due to him. He took only two wickets, but they were the key ones of Smith and Hashim Amla, when both were set, and they highlighted the value of having a genuine strike bowler at the captain's disposal.

Smith was first to go, top-edging a weary hook shot straight to Anderson at fine leg. He had battled against himself throughout his 103-ball stay, never finding his fluency or best touch. This was unsurprising, given the amount of mental and physical energy that had gone into his astounding performance at Edgbaston. The only surprise here was that he lasted so long.

Like Basildon in a general election, Smith, in form or not, remains a bellwether for his team and his departure sparked a downturn in fortunes. Harmison's next ball to Amla was fast and full and it duly flattened the batsman's middle stump. Harmison jumped, punched the air with delight and roared his satisfaction, something we have not really seen since the Ashes in 2005. It was a welcome sight.

Now it was Anderson's turn to join in the fun. Swinging the ball malevolently this way and that, with just the merest tilt of his wrist position, he set up Jacques Kallis with a series of outswingers before he darted one back, late and full, to trap the batsman leg-before. Did the ball strike him outside the line of off stump? It was a marginal call, but one that Aleem Dar got right and it was just reward for a skilful bit of swing bowling.

When Ashwell Prince drove Anderson to Ian Bell at cover point, South Africa had lost four wickets for 15 runs in 33 balls. Mark Boucher became the fifth of the session, feathering another Anderson outswinger through to Ambrose, and A.B. de Villiers, the sixth, when he played back to the third ball bowled by Monty Panesar on the stroke of tea. Panesar was an immediate beneficiary of the change in captain, used as he was sparingly and, when he took his second wicket in the first over of a new spell, he would have thought, judiciously.

England's new captain directed proceedings from mid-off just like Vaughan, but that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Vaughan would stand impassively, Pietersen clapped, cajoled and was more obviously emotional. There were hugs for his bowlers and an affectionate pat on the behind for short leg. It was all very touchy-feely. From a man who, in his press conferences, had spread more love around than you'd find in a 1960s hippy commune, this was unsurprising. Let it all hang out, man.

Scoreboard

South Africa: First Innings
*G C Smith c Anderson b Harmison 46
(148min, 103 balls, 7 fours)
N D McKenzie c Cook b Flintoff 17
(95min, 55 balls, 2 fours)
H M Amla b Harmison 36
(54min, 35 balls, 8 fours)
J H Kallis lbw b Anderson 2
(8min, 5 balls)
A G Prince c Bell b Anderson 4
(28min, 14 balls, 1 four)
A B de Villiers lbw b Panesar 39
(81min, 53 balls, 8 fours)
M V Boucher c Ambrose b Anderson 3
(23min, 13 balls)
M Morkel c Bell b Broad 17
(49min, 30 balls, 3 fours)
P L Harris not out 13
(68min, 49 balls, 1 four)
A Nel c Ambrose b Broad 4
(8min, 5 balls, 1 four)
M Ntini b Panesar 9
(44min, 29 balls, 1 four)
Extras (b 1, lb 1, nb 2) 4

Total (64.5 overs, 307min) 194

Fall of wickets: 1-56 (20.0; Smith 36); 2-103 (31.4; Amla 36); 3-103 (31.5; Kallis 0); 4-105 (32.5; Prince 0); 5-118 (37.0; De Villiers 9); 6-132 (42.1; De Villiers 20); 7-158 (49.3; Morkel 5); 8-168 (52.5; Harris 0); 9-172 (54.4; Harris 0).

Bowling: Harmison 18-6-49-2 (8 fours; 8-3-24-0, 6-2-16-2, 4-1-9-0); Anderson 15-1-42-3 (nb 2; 6 fours; 5-0-12-0, 8-1-24-3, 2-0-6-0); Flintoff 15-2-37-1 (5 fours; 5.5-1-15-1/lunch/3.1-1-9-0, 4-0-9-0, 2-0-4-0); Broad 14-3-60-2 (13 fours; 3-1-12-0/lunch/4-1-21-0/2-0-13-0/tea/5-1-14-2); Panesar 2.5-0-4-2 (0.3-0-1-1/tea/1.3-0-1-0, 0.5-0-2-1).

Scoring notes: First day: Lunch (taken at 12.44pm - rain) 64-1 (21.5 overs, 104min; Smith 40, Amla 4). Tea 156-7 (49.3 overs, 239min; Morkel 5). All out at 5.06pm - 23 overs left.

England: First Innings
A J Strauss c Smith b Ntini 6
(16min, 20 balls, 1 four)
A N Cook not out 20
(77min, 45 balls, 2 fours)
I R Bell not out 22
(60min, 37 balls, 3 fours)
Extras (lb 1) 1

Total (1 wkt, 17 overs, 77min) 49

*K P Pietersen, P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, T R Ambrose, S C J Broad, S J Harmison, J M Anderson and M S Panesar to bat.

Fall of wicket: 1-7 (3.4; Cook 1).

Bowling (one spell each): Morkel 6-0-14-0 (1 four); Ntini 8-1-27-1 (4 fours); Nel 3-0-7-0 (1 four).

Scoring notes: First day: Close (at 6.33pm) 49-1 (17 overs, 77min; Cook 20, Bell 22). Six overs unbowled.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan, 50th Test) and S J Davis (Australia, 13th).

Replay umpire: P J Hartley.

Fourth umpire: R K Illingworth.

Match referee: R S Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

Series details: First Test (Lord's) Drawn. Second Test (Headingley) South Africa won by ten wickets. Third Test (Edgbaston) South Africa won by five wickets.

Compiled by Bill Frindall

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